Changing the name of StorageForum.net to...

[Prof.Wizard]

Guys, why are we sticking to this name? Afterall we're not talking only about Storage, neither SF's main purpose is to analyze storage related issues.

Jokes apart, we need to change to something more general. How do you like Handruin.com? Funny, simple, and reminds you what will happen to your hand (carpal syndrome, etc.) if you pass many too hours using your computer's mouse... :wink:

Get a life!!! :mrgrn:

[Pradeep]

Well Doug has already kindly bought and paid for Storageforum.net. It would be senseless to throw that away and buy another domain.

[Prof.Wizard]

If we all pay, the sum will be minimal... :wink:

[Handruin]

It's not much, only $14.95.

[Tannin]

I like it the way it is.

[Pradeep]

Indeed. I can't see any reason for changing.

[timwhit]

A vote to keep it as Storageforum.

[James Kein]

how about alphageeks.com or something?

[James]

Nah, StorageForum is good.

[Prof.Wizard]

Ahh... the power of conservatism!

But why, guys? This site hasn't any formal affiliation to the storage field. It would have had, but since SR is up and running we should find an alternative and more flexible name.

We must be different. This way we seem like a SR spin-off. We're not!!

[Tannin]

IBM invented rotating magnetic storage in 1956.

Shugart Associates invented the floppy drive in 1975.

Seagate invented the hard drive in 1981.

I don't know who put up the first storage-related web site, but I know mine wasn't even close to the first, and mine was up four years before Storage Review existed.

Google lists almost fourteen million pages if you search for "storage".

Seems like a pretty public domain concept to me.

(PS: dates from memory, but close enough.)

[The JoJo]

I like it the way it is...

[i]

I have the solution!

Prof. Wizard, all you have to do is register your own domain name, and then set up a small webpage to automatically redirect you here.

That way:

- you type in crunchysnakebits.com (or whatever) and you arrive here

- everyone else types in storageforum.net and they arrive here

See? It's perfect. Everyone gets what they want this way.

[Prof.Wizard]

I have the solution!

Prof. Wizard, all you have to do is register your own domain name, and then set up a small webpage to automatically redirect you here.

That way:

- you type in crunchysnakebits.com (or whatever) and you arrive here

- everyone else types in storageforum.net and they arrive here

See? It's perfect. Everyone gets what they want this way.
Oh my Gosh! You're so damn intelligent... oh gosh! How didn't I think of that earlier? Thank you "i", if you have other funn... err.. I mean intelligent ideas please do through them here...

[Prof.Wizard]

IBM invented rotating magnetic storage in 1956.

Shugart Associates invented the floppy drive in 1975.

Seagate invented the hard drive in 1981.

I don't know who put up the first storage-related web site, but I know mine wasn't even close to the first, and mine was up four years before Storage Review existed.

Google lists almost fourteen million pages if you search for "storage".

Seems like a pretty public domain concept to me.

(PS: dates from memory, but close enough.)
Yeah, you're right on that buddy.
http://forums.storagereview.net/viewtopic.php?t=898&highlight=place
And notice, I didn't post that thread... and Davin in another thread (not this one) stretches the fact that the place is SR...

[Mercutio]

Don't get make me get out my bag, Prof. ;)

Seriously, there's no resaon for us to change. StorageForum is good. Most of us remain SR regulars. We have common interest in storage, and frankly, every variant on "extreme", "tech", and "hardware" has already been taken.

[Prof.Wizard]

Don't get make me get out my bag, Prof. ;)
:o

Hehe, OK. Motion overruled.

[Buck]

Your idea is logical enough Professor, but obvious logic doesn't always take precedence.

BR

[Corvair]

. .
With all the new top-level domain names looming, http://www.storage.forum/ could be a hot domain name to own.


. .

[timwhit]

Gary,

Could you explain more about top-level domain names.

[Pradeep]

TLD's, such as .com .net .org and now .biz and .info

It's a pain having to buy em all :(

[Corvair]

. .
Gary, Could you explain more about top-level domain names.


New top-level domains have recently been sanctioned by ICANN -- the international bureaucratic organisation that governs top-level domain (TLD) names.


The upcoming new TLDs are: .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, and .pro . There have been a bunch of other TLDs which have been proposed, but who knows if any of them will ever happen. Some are self-explanatory such as: .forum, .ind (for individual), .sex .


Before you start laughing about the .SEX top-level domain name, I though that this was an *excellent* idea, since it would get virtually all the sex-related sites the hell out of the .COM top-level domain, but ICANN refused to even consider this and many other perfectly good suggestions. Another sore point with ICANN (as far as I'm concerned) is that they won't kick the proverbial arses of the .US top-level domain administrators about opening up the .US top-level domain. These friggin' .US domain administrators charge a fortune for purchasing domain names (thousands $ per year) -- that is if you can even get them to respond.


Anyway, if you are up to perusing through ICANN gobbledygook:

http://www.icann.org/tlds/

http://www.icann.org/logos/icann-logo.gif
. . . ....and U C A N N T


. .

[James]

.Sexcellent.

[Prof.Wizard]

Before you start laughing about the .SEX top-level domain name, I though that this was an *excellent* idea, since it would get virtually all the sex-related sites the hell out of the .COM top-level domain, but ICANN refused to even consider this and many other perfectly good suggestions.
WHY NOT?!?! :o
Are they stupid? We could make a unique rule in our firewalls this way (mail coming from .sex domains!) and away with the sex spam problem... :wink:

[Mercutio]

There are actually good arguments against having a .sex namespace.

1.) Some things that probably don't belong there might end up in it, anyway. An ISP might force a site with even remotely sexual content into .sex, for example (e.g. the gag site www.technicalvirgin.com, or sites like thestranger.com, which sometimes discusses adult subject matter).
2.) Some overzealous whacko Sysadmin might decide his DNS servers don't need to forward requests for .sex domains... or his bosses might decide that they don't want to waste the bandwidth on those requests. Either way, this could easily break the DNS system.
3.) Porn sites would stay in .com. .sex would be an easily-filtered ghetto. More likely, sites would purchase .sex domains and use .com addresses, perhaps even legitimate ones (whitehouse.com, nasa.com) to redirect to their sites. Their mail would, of course, continue to come from legitimate, non-.sex addresses.
4.) Most sexually-oriented web sites are already in the right place - .com.
5.) What happens when someone realizes that a <gasp> publicly-funded network link, such as a university's, is carrying traffic destined for .sex domains? Whoops. Can't do that. Better change the routing rules.
6.) Additional common TLDs are going to be confusing to the average internet user. How many people do you know that think all internet addresses end in .com?
7.) Finally, everybody loves the idea of filtering this sort of thing, except when it happens to them. Make .sex easy to filter and there's a good chance your ISP will do it, too.

[Corvair]

. .
The .sex TLD proposal was actually made by an organisation made up of "porno industry" leaders. THEY actually wanted this! But ICANNt wouldn't even allow the proposal to be heard (step one of many steps through the arduous approval process).

[i]

The upcoming new TLDs are: .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, and .pro . There have been a bunch of other TLDs which have been proposed, but who knows if any of them will ever happen. Some are self-explanatory such as: .forum, .ind (for individual), .sex .



Upcoming? I think some of those are already here. Here are a few random ones I plucked from Google:

http://www.visa.info/
http://www.tom.barrett.name/
http://lawrencehall.science.museum/
http://www.rangetel.coop/
http://www.discountcomputers.biz/

Couldn't find any .aero or .pro URLs though. Anyone seen any of them yet?

[Tannin]

I'm forever getting spam trying to sell me .biz and .info domain names. And the other new one, which I forget.

[cquinn]

Mecurtio,

Thanks to a login timeout, you are spared a long point to point rant
regarding your arguments against having a .sex domain... :)

Instead I will try to address your points (and the original topic)
with a few of my own feeble opinions.

I early on thought that .sex was a good idea, but that it should be
supplemented with .xxx - Not all adult materials are necessarily
pornograhic or explicit, and those that do have some value beyond
entertainment (educational, theraputic, medical, etc) could be
better served by a further separation within that namespace.

ISPs that actively filter content based on who posts it or where it
comes from put themselves into a position to be liable as publishers
for any content that gets past their filters. Most prefer to
exist in a grey area between "common carrier" and "publisher" status,
to better avoid the limitations of either grouping.
Those that do filter any but the most illegal of materials face greater
competition from ISPs that allow greater access.

There are a few whacko admins out there, but the majority would be more
likely to accept such TLDs, specifically because it gives them more
information to filter on or track against if their network usage requires it.
Many consider the DNS system already broken/breaking due to the heavy-handed
tactics of Verisign, and the technocracy/bureaucracy of ICANN; enough so that
there is a groundswell for services like OpenDNS and the alternic to supplement
the existing hierarchy.

By a similar token, the majority of business oriented adult sites would welcome
such TLDs because it would allow them to more accurately target thier sites
towards actual paying customers. Yes, they would still keep thier old .com
designations as well, but many (the more responsible ones?) would shift those
URLs over as thier standard disclamer page before forwarding to their real site.

(I will address one point)
>5.) What happens when someone realizes that a <gasp> publicly-funded network link,
>such as a university's, is carrying traffic destined for .sex domains?

The same thing that already happens now. Having new TLDs would not overrule existing
usage policies that companies, government organizations, and educational institutions
already have on their networks. However that does open the possiblity of a Grad student
have a legitimate registration of MastersJohnson.sex as a news and discussion site for
researchers in Human Sexuality.

Most internet users would be better served by more cooperation and communication between
ISPs, Companies, Search Engines, Portals, et al, to make the use of existing and new
domains more easily understandable and usable, letting the boundaries be established
by community instead of by commitee.


-----
Getting back on the original topic, what matters is not what the name of the site
is, but what the members who make it up determine as its focus thru our usage of it.

The StorageForum name has historical significance due to the circumstances that
resulted in it forming. Even if the sites focus changes, the people that remain
as regulars will remember (or learn) the name was chosen both for the initial
gathering of storage enthusiasts, and in memory/respect for the sense of community
and level of professionalism that existed/exists in the storagereview forums.

I'm sure the focus here will start to wind back to storage topics as soon as
newer drives, Serial ATA, Ultra320 SCSI, or any number of other topics to
come actually become (consumer level) reality.

[CougTek]

The StorageForum name has historical significance due to the circumstances that resulted in it forming.
I didn't think about that, but it's a great point for keeping our name the way it is currently. So, despite that we aren't centered on storage stuff anymore, StorageForum.net is still a good name for us I now believe.

[Pradeep]

I'm forever getting spam trying to sell me .biz and .info domain names. And the other new one, which I forget.

.name? I too get the same crap :(

[Tea]

Ahh yes. .name A quite useless TLD, I should have thought. Who would want to be a .name? .biz, OK, .info, no problem. But .name? I can't see it.

Maybe it's for vanity sites. You know:

"Come to www.AbrahamPWalrusstittie.name and you can look at the pictures of my dog."

or:

"Visit www.JudithHarris-Smith.name and read the list I made in Frontpage of my seven children and their names. Seven is not really a lot, you know, it's just that my husband Jerry and I are very determined: we are going to keep on trying until we get one that we like."